This week my Halloween suggestions are cruelty free. We try very hard to live a cruelty free life and my hope is you will be, as well. So in this spirit I offer Vegetarian Recipes and more: a long anticipated young adult book, some high seas adventure, something to read with children and time travel. Nothing scary this week – oh, wait – the young adult book has a terrifying premise starting with UNWIND. That is frightening.

Teens control the fate of America in the fourth and final book in the New York Times bestselling Unwind Dystologyby Neal Shusterman.

Proactive Citizenry, the company that created Cam from the parts of unwound teens, has a plan: to mass produce rewound teens like Cam for military purposes. And below the surface of that horror lies another shocking level of intrigue: Proactive Citizenry has been suppressing technology that could make unwinding completely unnecessary. As Conner, Risa, and Lev uncover these startling secrets, enraged teens begin to march on Washington to demand justice and a better future.
But more trouble is brewing. Starkey’s group of storked teens is growing more powerful and militant with each new recruit. And if they have their way, they’ll burn the harvest camps to the ground and put every adult in them before a firing squad—which could destroy any chance America has for a peaceful future.

I am in awe of this series, Book 3 came out a year ago and I heaped on the praise. I highly endorse this series. The premise and storytelling makes this both a favorite and thought provoking series.

In a society where unwanted teens are salvaged for their body parts, three runaways fight the system that would “unwind” them.

Connor’s parents want to be rid of him because he’s a troublemaker. Risa has no parents and is being unwound to cut orphanage costs. Lev’s unwinding has been planned since his birth, as part of his family’s strict religion. Brought together by chance, and kept together by desperation, these three unlikely companions make a harrowing cross-country journey, knowing their lives hang in the balance.

If they can survive until their eighteenth birthday, they can’t be harmed — but when every piece of them, from their hands to their hearts, are wanted by a world gone mad, eighteen seems far, far away.

In Unwind, Boston Globe/Horn Book Award winner Neal Shusterman challenges readers’ ideas about life — not just where life begins, and where it ends, but what it truly means to be alive.

Master and Commander Charles Hayden has received fresh orders that take him and the HMS Themis to the Caribbean, with instructions to meddle with French shipping to the colonies. While en route, they rescue two Spanish castaways who beg for help fleeing from a vengeful family situation—Hayden agrees to do what he can, though it’s soon clear his two new guests aren’t exactly what they seem.

Arriving in the lawless Caribbean seas, Hayden and Themis find themselves torn between the forces of reckless English captains, conflicts between royalist and revolutionary Frenchmen, and Spanish ships that are enemies to both England and France. And when someone very dear to him is kidnapped, Hayden may sacrifice everything in a reckless pursuit to save her.

Scout is ready for her first Christmas! It’s Scout’s first winter, and she can’t wait for Christmas! She loves the shiny presents with their gorgeous ribbons, which look awfully like fancy tug-of-war toys! By the time Scout’s through with them, the presents are a mess.

Is Christmas morning ruined? Of course not! Fans of Puppy Diaries will find this story hilarious, sweet, and perfect for young readers!

Warden of Time , the ninth novel in the After Cilmeri series, continues the story of time travel, romance, and adventure begun with Daughter of Time.

As both modern man and medieval king, David is committed to transforming medieval England into his own version of Avalon. Not everyone supports his ideals, however, and having offended the pope by welcoming Jews and heretics into England, David is summoned to Canterbury to explain himself.

But when information comes to light that reveals the accusations against him have less to do with religion than with power and wealth, David finds himself on familiar ground–and at the center of a conspiracy that stretches from Ireland to Italy. Facing excommunication, a fickle populace, and a rebellion even by his fellow time travelers, he must decide what his throne is worth, and what he’s willing to sacrifice to keep it.